Two years ago we launched the Jean’s Green product line. When the 2-year anniversary rolled around last week, we celebrated with smiles and congratulations from clients but it is where we celebrated that made the day even sweeter, the new Favor Mall.

The Favor Mall 2525 W. 13th Wichita, Kansas

Located at 2525 W. 13th street, the Favor Mall is the new home for the Jean’s Green product line and the Favor Beauty Salon. Opening the door to clients on that day was another dream realized, another prayer answered, another walk with an open heart and a clear embrace of faith.

So that you can truly understand how thankful we are to be opening the Favor Mall, you need to know how divinely it came in to our lives. In October 2011, Jean’s Green business manager, LaVonnda McCabe noticed a building for sale/lease sign. Upon previewing the building she saw the potential to showcase Miss Jean’s skills in the Favor Beauty Salon, give the Jean’s Green product a permanent home and allow space for other beauty professionals to join them. When she learned the building would be auctioned the following Saturday, she was interested but financially unprepared for a commitment of that size.

On the day of the auction, after prior meetings and appointments had fallen through, LaVonnda suddenly found herself with time on her hands. Her thoughts turned toward the building again and she began to pray.

Walking by faith she decided to go to the auction and when she arrived, she was spotted by a gentleman who knew her only as, “Coach LA.” She had previously coached his son on her basketball team but hadn’t seen him in 2 years. When they were interrupted by a phone call, LaVonnda began to walk around the building praying, “Lord you have to show yourself here in this place. Show yourself STRONG.”

When the man returned they each shared their desires for the building. LaVonnda wanted a salon and spa, the man had his eye on the parking lot since he owned a neighboring business. Bidding began and quickly three men were vying for the prize. Then the bidding was down to two. LaVonnda stood there quietly taking in the experience with lip balm in one pocket, an empty wallet in the other, and a heart overflowing with faith.

The auction ended and the man she’d been talking to won the bid. He immediately approached LaVonnda where they exchanged formal introductions and he asked her again to describe the plan she envisioned for the building. LaVonnda doesn’t miss an opportunity to sing the praises of Jean’s Green. In that parking lot on that day, she sang, telling the man about the visions she and Jean had talked about all those years including a space for Jean’s clients, other cosmetologists, a nail technician, a barber, a class room and even a spa.

When she was finished, the man looked at her and said with conviction, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll lease you the building at a price you can afford. You have my WORD.” To this LaVonnda immediately replied, “Well then you can park anywhere you want.”

The gentleman, the very gentle-man held steadfast to his word and now Jean’s Green has a home in the Favor Mall. We will be forever thankful and humbled by the generosity he showed us. He “paid it forward” and we will too.

To God be the glory!

Now, we want you to come see what we’ve done! Stop by the new Favor Mall at 2525 W. 13th street. Take a tour, say hi and if you’re currently a cosmetologist, nail tech, barber or massage therapist who’s been looking for a new place to take care of your clients, talk to us.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Luke 6:38

Lori and Tonya are two busy ladies. They face the challenges of work, raising children, dealing with family and all the other little things life has a tendency to throw at us. They both have biological children, as well as adopted children, but both will tell you the “adopted” part is just circumstance. In their hearts, there is no label for each child and no separation of emotion. As two Caucasian mamas mothering three African American daughters, they don’t see skin color but they do acknowledge one significant challenge, HAIR!

Lori, whose daughter, Malaysia came to her when she was 5 years old, said she always struggled with what do with her daughter’s hair because she just didn’t understand the biology of it. Over the years she met well-intentioned African American friends and even perfect strangers who offered to help but the end result was always tight braids, brittle hair that was impossible to comb through and chemical solutions that were often painful to the child’s scalp with modest results that never lasted very long, until she met Miss Jean.

Malaysia Before

When Lori brought Malaysia to the Favor salon, Jean didn’t just do the child’s hair and send them on their way, she spent time explaining the scientific difference, gave Lori a bit of a history lesson and then shared products and knowledge she could put to use at home. What used to be a daily crying struggle to fix her daughter’s hair has now become a joy. At the age of 9, Malaysia was beginning to experience taunts from other children about her hair but now, she’s proud to show it off and even run her fingers through it.

Malaysia After

Lori, who wrote a letter to Jean on Christmas Eve expressing her gratitude said, “All I’ve ever wanted is for Malaysia to be a capable teen and young woman, able to take care of her own grooming successfully. Now I feel like she can.”

Tonya had a similar struggle, multiplied by two. Daughters Anna and Eva, 2 and 3 respectively, are fun-loving, good-natured sisters who would rather play than worry about their hair. Like Lori, Tonya also had African American women offer to help in the past but their advice was often conflicting and she knew she didn’t want to use a chemical straightener. Her only options seemed to be braids or poofs of hair on top of their heads gathered in rubber bands. Recently, the family was prepared to leave the house on an outing when Tonya’s husband asked, “Shouldn’t you fix the girls’ hair?” She had. Later, at a church function, she was given Miss Jean’s name and made an appointment immediately.

Anna Before

Eva Before

Like Malaysia, the first visit took several hours as Miss Jean applied a moisturizing product and worked it through each of the girls’ hair, taking time to explain what she was doing and more importantly, why. Tonya said she always knew Anna and Eva’s hair could be better, she just didn’t know how. Now the girls, who have wavy long hair, love to shake it and watch the way it bounces in a mirror. Tonya said it makes her grateful every time she sees the girls look at themselves and smile. About Miss Jean and colleague, LaVonnda McCabe, Tonya says, “They are both so sincere. You can tell their heart’s desire is to help and educate.”

Anna After

Eva After

The philosophy of Jean’s Green founder, Jean Williams, has always been about doing the right thing. Doing right by the earth by eliminating harmful lye from her products, doing right by her neighbors and ultimately, doing right by God. She doesn’t believe in coincidence, she believes in divine intervention and every person who passes through her door was meant to be there. She’s grateful for every customer, of course, but when she sees she has the opportunity to make an impact on someone’s life, then she feels truly blessed, and she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.

Answer:Lie = We are telling you the truth based on scientific fact, experience, and as always, common sense. It also means why not the truth? We’ve lived this “lie” long enough through myths, traditions, and sometimes just what we think will work.

Lye = There are absolutely NO hydroxides (lye) in any of the products. With the truth we’ve gained, we know we no longer want anyone to use these harsh chemicals, because of the damage they produce.

It Works = That’s it! We have many testimonies telling us just that. I see it daily. The users tell family and friends how their hair has changed. It works because we no longer have to sacrifice the health of our hair and scalp for a hairstyle.

2. What is the Pre-Soft Tx (Treatment)?

Answer: The Pre-Soft Tx is an all-natural softening treatment. It makes the hair soft and more manageable to work with. We need something to open or raise the cuticle layer of the hair so it can receive the nutrients necessary for healthy hair. This is what the alkaline mineral, called the Pre-Soft Tx does, the other ingredients deposit oils for softness and amino acids, which are the necessary building blocks for healthy hair.

The Pre-Soft Tx is NOT a “straightener” or a relaxer, it is just what it is titled, “Softener” When your hair is soft it is less likely to break. The Ph is 11.28, so the level must be lowered by the C-7 ShampHoo which is 3.5 acid ph. Only the C-7 ShampHoo can be used, not a neutralizing shampoo from relaxer kits or other relaxers.

3. How often do you apply the Pre-Soft Tx?

Answer: The Pre-Soft Tx is only applied when you have new growth. This is the hair that needs softening.

4. How long do you wait to apply color?

Answer: Temporary color , semi-permanent color and colors mixed with 10-volume developer, immediately. With colors using 20-volume developer, use caution if there is ammonia. With ammonia-free hair colors you can color immediately or same day. Use caution with hi-lift colors, high lightening or bleaching.

5. What brand of hair color do you recommend with Jean’s Green?

Answer: I use Chi by Farouk Systems. These products are totally ammonia-free.

6. At what age can you begin to use the Pre-Soft Tx on a child?

Answer: The earliest you should apply the Pre-Soft Tx on a child is 2 years of age.

7. What type of hair can the Pre-Soft Tx be applied to?

Answer: The Pre-Soft Tx can be applied to any and all types of hair.

8. What products in the Jean’s Green line combat dryness?

Answer: All of the products in the line combat dryness. No matter what race, color, creed you are, the biggest problem we all have with our hair is dryness. Dryness leads to breakage.

9. What is in the Jean’s Green line for those who think they have to have a relaxer?

Answer: The Satin Relaxer!! There are absolutely No hydroxides in this product either. Instead of changing from one brand to another, we decided to change the chemical. This propriety blend can only be used by a licensed cosmetologist. The Satin Relaxer will not dissolve the hair like traditional relaxers.

10. Do you want to know what a mystery is?

Answer: A mystery is a Kingdom secret that gives you mastery over your circumstances. God has given us the secret to a mystery which is, why are we having so much hair loss and damage? Jean’s Green has mastered the damaged hair and scalp epidemic associated with kinky, curly, and overly curly hair, due to the application of relaxers that contain chemicals titled hydroxides; sodium (lye) and calcium, lithium, potassium, and guanidine (no lye) relaxers.

I remember as a child all the little girls in the neighborhood wore braids. I also remember they were easy to take care of and fashionable. Sure they were time-consuming to have done, but a time-saver in the morning because you didn’t have to do anything to them to get ready. Now that I have learned more about the health of my hair, it worries me to see the extremes we put our hair through for a particular style.

I often wonder why so many people are wearing braids. It’s not just a cute style for little girls anymore. Now it’s women, boys, and men too. Is it because of convenience, laziness, health issues, or hair issues?

I can understand braiding your hair if you are resting the hair shaft from every day wear and tear or chemical usage. However, once the hair is combined with yaky, facky, or tacky (synthetic hair) your hair is going to suffocate. The weight of one synthetic hair is 5 times the weight of an average human hair strand. In addition, the human hair strand has very little cuticle strength due to the harsh relaxer process. This additional weight on the hair strand puts too much pressure on the hair follicle. Synthetic hair does not twist or bend like curly hair does. This causes the hair to break or to be completely pulled out of the follicle. This is why many women have a balding hairline. Braiding, natural or even processed hair alone without added synthetic hair is not harmful but healthy for the scalp and hair. The only exception to this is when the hair is braided too tight for too long, which can result in hair loss due to traction alopecia.

Traction alopecia occurs when the constant weight on the root (either by braiding too tight or using synthetic hair) inhibits the hair’s natural turning process as it grows out of the follicle womb. When hair is not allowed to naturally turn and twist from the root, it causes stress, rupturing the bulb and creating muscle weakness.

Damage to scalp resulting from braids

Damage to scalp resulting from braids

During the 60’s and 70’s, Black Americans wore braids and experienced a rapid growth rate and healthy hair and scalp. Black men including sports figures and celebrities find it masculine and a statement of Black culture to braid their hair. Once it is cleansed and re-braided the hair is longer and healthy. However, box braids and extensions with synthetic hair braided into the natural fiber or relaxed hair doesn’t allow the cuticle to breath or twist. Once unbraided, the hairs that would normally fall out will and should, but hairs in their resting phase (telogen) binding tightly over a period of two to three months, dehydrates and sheds prematurely.

This leads me to a curious question. Why do we talk our daughters into this practice and not boys? Boys are allowed the opportunity to have the natural process of braiding and natural hair growth. The boy’s hair growth surpasses the girls hair growth to Kanekalon (plastic) or foreign synthetic hair that does not promote hair growth. Oxygen needs to get to the cuticle and the follicles need the weight to normalize for healthy hair growth. The synthetic hair prohibits oxygen from entering the cuticle.

Give your hair a healthy break by trying to braid without synthetics.

Photo courtesy of Buzzle.com

Do you have questions about your particular hair type or want detailed information about our products? Please let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Email: info@jeans-green.com

When parents have two children with two different textures of hair they might say one has “good hair” and the other has “bad hair.” But what really constitutes “good hair?”

The true definition of “good hair” is any hair that is on your head! Hair that is on the floor, in your sink, or in your brush/comb is “bad hair.” The question should be “how healthy is your hair”?

For as many ethnic groups as there are; there are many types and textures of hair. You can have thick, thin, curly, straight, long, short, kinky or wavy, whatever the preference. The biggest problem seems to be the least concern to people, DRYNESS!

No matter what color, race, creed, education level or financial status, dryness is the culprit. Dryness is caused by the elements of heat and humidity, lack of knowledge, or hairstyle practices. Dryness is the hindrance to hair growth. I often ask the question, “what is the opposite of dry”? Wet. “What is the opposite of wet“? Dry. You would be amazed how many people respond with, oily.

Let’s use a plant for example. When a plant is dry we give it WATER not OIL. Oil is used for frying food. We must water plants to keep them alive or ultimately they will die. The plant is eventually going to dry up, get brittle and break off. The same is true for our hair. Hair needs water for hydration and oil for softness but NOT oils with petrolatum jellies or petroleum.

In the Jean’s Green line there is a product called Thermo Creme. It is a hair dress you use instead of grease. This innovative water-soluble oil is a non-greasy solid substance that provides a shield for both heat and water. It seals the cuticle, water-proofs it prevents reverting and adds a light sheen while keeping hair manageable. This product does not weigh hair down due to its light consistency. Thermo Creme molecules are small enough to penetrate into your scalp for hydration and the oil is present to create the softness you need for body and hair movement.

Another product in the Jean’s Green line you can use to combat dryness is the Satin Conditioner. We suggest you use the Satin Conditioner as a leave-in. It should be applied nightly to the hair from scalp to the ends and wrap your hair in a silk/satin scarf or sleep on a satin pillow case. While you sleep, the hydrating properties moisturize your hair.

When you begin using our products, you will notice healthier hair, stronger hair and when you look in the mirror there will be no doubt, you have GOOD hair.

No Lie (Lye) ~ It Works!

Please visit our website today to learn more about Thermo Creme, Satin Conditioner and the entire line of Jean’s Green products. Be sure to click the “Available At” tab to find a retailer near you. Or, you can always order online. http://www.jeans-green.com/index.php?p=home

Do you have questions about your particular hair type or want detailed information about our products? Please let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Email: info@jeans-green.com

If you had the opportunity to see the Chris Rock documentary “Good Hair” you saw the extreme lengths people will go to for the sake of a hairstyle. Chris spoke candidly and often humorously, about the obvious damage relaxers do to our hair and scalp, but he never offered a solution.

For years we have been stuck in tradition, doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. As Dr. Phil would say, “how’s that workin’ out for us?” To achieve different results we must be educated about the products we’re using now and learn why they’re so harmful.

Relaxers are products of hydroxides! Hydroxides come in many forms: sodium, calcium, lithium, potassium and guanidine (Lye). Lye was initially invented to unclog drains, not to apply on our scalps.

Beauty product companies pay big bucks to marketing strategists who help sell their products by making it look appealing to the consumer. Marketing schemes have even capitalized on our ignorance, naming products a specific way to influence our buying habits. For example: no lye relaxers, sensitive scalp relaxers, texturizers, even relaxers for kids. They all still contain some kind of hydroxide in them. Hydroxides dissolve hair!

I might be telling my age, nevertheless, do you remember Neet, Nair, or Magic Shave? What were these products used for? To remove hair. The same is true for relaxers. The common denominator is hydroxide.

We have mistreated our hair for so long. We’ve resorted to wigs, weaves, and synthetic hair. We sew it in or glue it on, and if that doesn’t work, we clip on or draw-string a hairpiece. For something we value so much, look what we’ve done. We’d never eat something we knew was poisonous or rub toxic chemicals on our skin, so why do we lower our standards when it comes to our hair?

The solution is The Pre-Soft Tx (treatment)

This is an innovative formula and when we say there is not another like it in the world, we’re not exaggerating. Alkaline mineral, amino acid-based, this treatment softens, refines, texturizers, and smoothes cuticles, producing longer, stronger and healthier hair without the use of hydroxides.

The most frequently asked question we receive about the Pre-Soft Tx is: What makes the hair straight? The answer: Nothing. The Pre-Soft Tx softens the cuticle making the hair more manageable.

After using the Pre-Soft Tx you CAN achieve a straight hair style without the harsh effects of chemicals.

Straight hair doesn’t come from the jar. NO. It comes from the HEAT! The Pre-Soft Tx application achieves the same result as a relaxer, but the difference is the technology. Simply put, it does not dissolve hair.

Before and After! Seeing is believing!

Before Pre-Soft Tx and styling

After - Gorgeous! Straight. Healthy hair!

Forget about the limits you thought you had in the past. Now you DO have a choice. Natural or chemical. For the sake of your hair and scalp, we hope you choose natural with Jean’s Green.

Please visit our website today to learn more about the Pre-Soft Tx and the entire line of Jean’s Green products. Be sure to click the “Available At” tab to find a retailer near you. Or, you can always order online. http://www.jeans-green.com/index.php?p=home

Special: Purchase the Pre-Soft Tx and receive a 2 oz item FREE.

Do you have questions about your particular hair type or want detailed information about our products? Please let us know. We’d love to hear from you. info@jeans-green.com

Sometimes we have more to say than Twitter and Facebook will allow. Often our heart is full of so much joy it’s impossible to explain in a mere 140 characters. This is one of those times. We’re going to need a few more paragraphs to tell you about all the goodness we found recently in Arizona.

Jean, Vanissa Young - Owner Get Sassy Beauty Supply, LaVonnda

Who schedules a trip to steamy Arizona in the summertime? We did! And for good reason. We were excited to launch the Jean’s Green line at the Get Sassy Beauty Supply store in Chandler. We knew we would be spending the day at Get Sassy, visiting with customers, answering questions and demonstrating the product. What we didn’t know was just how welcome we’d be and how many wonderful people would make a lasting impression on us.

During the six days we spent in the great southwest, we launched our product, spent time with family, visited a beauty school to perform a demonstration and then did four more demos at beauty salons across the state, including one within an hour of stepping off the plane. We don’t mess around.

One of our most memorable days occurred when we gave a training class at Empire Beauty School in Chandler. It reminded us once again why we travel and why we’re committed to speaking with the public about our product. Our company vision isn’t about stocking jars and making money, it’s about education. We can’t shout it loud enough, “there is a better way, we have it and we want to share it with you.”

There is a great feeling that comes from walking away from a beauty school and know in our hearts we’ve touched lives and changed minds. The students at Empire Beauty were kind and receptive to what we had to say. We know wherever their career paths take them, now they’re armed with a base knowledge about how to straighten hair naturally. As always, our hope is that they will spread the word and hopefully change the mind of a skeptic because they can say, “I saw it with my own eyes.” An empowered student with knowledge of a better way. . . it’s a beautiful thing.

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the people of Arizona for welcoming Jean’s Green in to their community. We were humbled by your kindness and blessed by the connections and friendships we made while we were there. We can’t wait to come back.

We met so many amazing people and want to thank a few of them by name including Vanissa Young with Get Sassy Beauty Supply store, Tammi Herrion at Z Spot Salon, Tamika McDonald at Balaros Hair Salon, Shani Wilson at Nappy By Nature, Empire Beauty School, Samaj James and Dr. V.A. Joseph who was kind enough to feature us on his Live 2 Produce radio show yesterday.

Miss Jean with Dr. V.A. Joseph - Live 2 Produce talk radio

Thank you, Arizona! For letting us show you what we do, and supporting us!